Beet-topper.



PATENTED NOV. 18, 1906.

B. L. CHAMBERS. BEET TOPBEE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.15, 1905.

Go MUM UNITED sTA'rEs PAT Nr OFFICE.

BURTON L. CHAMBERS, or SAN JAe N'ro, CALIFORNIA.

' BEET-TQXPPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 13, 1 906.

Application filed August 15, 1906. Serial No. 274,266.

To all whpm it may concern:

Be it known that I, BURTON L. CHAMBERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at San J acinto, in the county of Riverside and State of California, have invented a new and useful Beet-Topper, of which the following is a specification.

An object of this invention is to prepare beets for harvesting.

In preparing sugar-beets for use in the manufacture of sugar it is necessary that the tops of the beets be sliced 01f. I propose to perform this Work in the simplest, most convenient, and most economical manner: This I do by providing means for slicing the to s of the beets off while the beets are yet in tfie ground. In order to do this readily and without Waste, I provide means for first cutting oil the leaves of the beets and putting them out of the way, and then by other means I slice off the to so? the beets. I also provide means for coping the slicingknife clear.

The machine may be provided with one or more sets of operating devices, so as to operate u )on one or more rows of beets at once. I s iall illustrate the device as it ap' pears constructed for operating on one row of beets at a time.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure l is a sectional elevation of the machine, omitting the ground-wheels and portion of the frame on one'sideof the machine. Fig. 2 is a lan of the machine. Fig. 3 is a detail of tile adjustable beet-slicing device with the means for keeping the knife clear. Fig. ,4 is a plan of the same, omitting the knifeclcaring device. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the knife and lower ends of the runners. Fig. 6 is a: fragmcntal view of the lever and spring for adjusting the pressure of the runners on the beets.

1 is a rotary cutter for cutting off the leaves ofthe beets; 2, a V-shaped share behind the cuti'er l for pushing the cut leaves of the beets out of the way at the side of the beet-row.

3 designates runners behind the share, and 4 a knife carried below said runners by a frame 5, said frame being adjustably fastened to the outer runners.

Thrunners are rigidly connected together and are pivoted on a shaft 6 and extend uslant rearwardly and downwardly towa d the knife, so that as the machine moves forward the runners may contact with the tops of the beets and be lifted thereby,

carrying rotary cutters, above the knife forkeeping the space between the knife and the runners clear.

8 is a traveling frame carrying the cutter, the share, the runners, and said frame and rotary means. The rotary cutter for cutting off the leaves of the beets is vertically adjusted by means of lever .T".

It will be seen that the arms of the rotary means 7 are adapted to pass between the se ries of 'arallel runners 3 and the knives at the en s of said arms pass adjacent to the.

edge of knife 4 to clear the same. The run ners 3 constitute means for automatically raising and. lowering knife 4 and clearing means 7 at the same time.

The frame 5, which carries the knife-clearing means 7, is pivoted to the shaft 6, to which the runners 3 are pivoted, and the rear end thereof moves up and down with the rear ends of the runners. p

10 is a spring fastened to the frame 5 and to a lever 11, pivoted on the frame 8 for ad justingthe frame 5 vertically; The levers 9, and 11 are each provided with catches 12 13 to hold the levers at the desired positions.

vl4. is the ground-wheel, and 15a sprocketwheel turned thereby to drive the sprocketchain 16, which drives the sprmket-wheel 17,. which drives the sprocketchains l8 19, the first of which drives the from; rotary cutter 1 and'the second drives the rear rotary. cutter or knife-clearin device 7.

quadrants and The lower ends 20 of the runners are curved to form shoes, and means are provided for adjustably holdin the same at a 'desired height above the rnife 4. means will be seen as a bolt 21 in t e shit 22 in the frame 5. By loosening said bolt the runners 3 may he raised or lowered relative to the knife 4 and then secured in place by tightening the bolt.

It is to is understood that both sides of the frame are preferably alike, and when it is desired to adjust the runners for a deeper In Fi 3 such.

, high. speed, and the leaves of the beets will be cut and afterward thrown a'sideor shallower out both bolts or screws 21 will be loosened, whereupon the runners may be moved relative to the knife up ordown, as the case may be.'

In practical operation as the machine moves forward. the front cutter 1 runs at a thereby by the share Then as the machine ad vances one or more of the runners will run uon the tops of the beets thus relieved of. t eir leaves, and as they. run upon the to s of said beets they will raise the frame 5 an ithe knife 4, attached thereto. By adjusting the runneis up or down relative to the knife any thickness o1 slice desired" may be taken-{110m the tops of the beets. he operator may at pleasure raise or lower the front mtery out.- ter 1- to cut oil the leaves close to the'tops of the beets. The rear beet-slicing frame: 5

may alsobe raised or lowered, thus raising or lowering the knife, as desired. It the operator. notes that sufiioient pressure is not be ing exerted: by the shoes. or runners 3 uponthe beets, he may push forward upon the handle 11, depressing spring and pressing the frame, down to hold the knife from b0undingirom the beets.

'23 isthe front carrying-wheel. in l I are bearing down too heavily on the beets he wi llpoll each on the lever 11, thus tending to lift the r more from the beets and relieving j, wet-hereon.

l :roviding a main shaft 6 with chaine'n wicket connections extending fer- .d rearwardly therefrom to rotate I 2'; en us 7" the strein onthe shaft 6 necessary to he operator-finds that the-runners adapted to pass betweenisaid runners an cutter 1 and the-rotary clearing operate said rotary knife and clearing means comes ainst the opposite sides of the shaft, so that t "e friction 1s lessened;

What I claim is 1. A beet-topper provided with a, knife, ,a series of arallel runners for raising and. low ering sai knife, said runners being adapted to engage the tops of the beets and to be lifted thereby, and rotating clearing maarcils jacent to the knifesedge.

.2. In a-beet topper, means fon slicing ofithe top of the beets, comprising a seri'esof' parallel pivoted runners sloping nearwardly and downwardly, ,aknife spaced vertically beneath said runners and c0nnected theretoto rise and fell therewith, and a rotany cutter comprising a series of. armsadapted to pass between said'parallelirunners, said. arms carrying at theirends knives ad'apted to pass adgaoentto the firstmentioned knife toclear the same.-

3;.111111 beet-topper,,means for slicing off the top of the beets, comprising a series of parallel. pivoted? runners sloping rearwardly and downwardly, a knife connected tosaid runnersto rise and fall therewith, and a rotary cutter comprising a series of arms adopt a edito pass between saidpa'rellel runners, said arms carrying at their ends knives adaptedto pass-adjacent tothe first-mentioned knife to clear the same.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto'set my hand, at Eos Angeles, California, this. 9th

day of: August, 1905. v

BURTON CHAMBERSz' In presence ctr- JAMES R. TOWNSEND; JULIA TOWNSEND. 

